A goby is nearly imperceptible, camouflaged against a gorgonian in the waters of the Republic of Palau—but it didn’t escape the lens of National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala, who  captured this image while making photographs for the Pristine Seas project. When asked how photography plays into the project’s goal to create marine reserves and save the ecosystems he’s so passionate about, Sala says, “Photography and film play a very important role: to share what’s there with people … We need to inspire the leaders and the public emotionally. We need them to fall in love with these places. We bring the place to them—that’s why photography and film is important.”

To learn more about photographer Enric Sala’s work, read the story “A Scientist Becomes a Photographer to Help Save Our Oceans” on our photography blog, Proof.